Eagle Tip - Picture This, Part 2

My last tip introduced Wikimedia Commons, a source for (usually) free images that you can use in court of honor programs and slideshows. It’s not the only source for free photos online, of course.

Another, and my personal favorite, is Stock.XCHNG, whose URL is the odd http://sxc.hu. The site features hundreds of photos of eagles, mountains, and other images that would be appropriate for courts of honor and other Scouting uses. In most cases, the images are free to use, but be sure to check the license for each image you select. (Often, the photographers asked to be notified, which you can do from the website.)

I will admit that the Stock.XCHNG interface can be a little tricky to navigate. Here are some ways to improve your experience

Create a free user account on the site. (Follow the “Sign Up!” link on the left side of the home page.)

Add images you think you want to use to your lightbox by clicking “Add to Lightbox”; this makes it easier to find them later.

You can create an extra, project-specific lightbox by clicking the Lightboxes tab near the top of the page. Pictures will be added to the new lightbox automatically.

At the top and bottom of every search results page, you’ll find images from a separate site called iStockphoto.com. (You’ll see a heading like this: “Premium results for "eagle" on iStockphoto.com for as low as $1!”) That site is also nice, but the pictures there are not free.